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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



I BULLETIN No. 962 



Contribution from the Bureau o( Plant Industry 
WM. A. TAYLOR Chief 




JX.^ ^.-f*. 




JfW^^s7u 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



August 12, 1921 



THE PRODUCTION OF THE EASTER LILY IN 
NORTHERN CLIMATES. 

By David Griffiths, Horticulturist. Office of Horticultural and Pomoloqical 

Investigations. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

The choice of method of propaga- 
tion 1 

Production on a seedling basis 3 

Production on a vegetative basis 16 

Methods of propagation 21 

Controlling bulblet formation 24 

Soil for Easter lilies 24 

Soil fertility 25 



Page. 

Storage of bulbs 26 

Sizes of merchantable bulbs 27 

Varietal selections 28 

The Easter lily in beds and borders. 29 
Lengthening the flower season out of 

doors 30 

Reducing the cost of heat in forcing. 30 

Resistance to cold 31 



THE CHOICE OF METHOD OF PROPAGATION. 

IT IS ASSL'MED that the grower of Easter lily stocks will start 
with seedlings. He may sow seed each season, but it is more likely 
that he will grow seedlings the first year and propagate vegetatively 
thereafter. When vegetative propagation is chosen the plants must 
be hardy enough to go through the winters safely out of doors. It 
has been amply demonstrated that the lily is sufficiently hardy in the 
latitude of Washington. D. C, to live through the winter either with 
or without a little mulch. The probability is that it will be found 
to be hardy very much farther north. If the grower goes back to 
seed each year it makes no difference whether the species is hardy 
in his locality or not, for the plants will not be in the open ground 
during the winter. 

The stock plants may be of any standard commercial variety, 
or any two standard varieties may be crossed. Good results have 
been obtained by cross-pollinating the varieties Giganteum and Har- 
48307"— 21 1 



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2 BULLETIN 962, l\ S. l^EPARTMEXT OF AGEIC'I'LTUKE. 

risii, Giganteiim and Formosum.^ or even two plants of any one 
of the above varieties, 

A trrower will succeed more often by pollinating one plant on to 
the other than by using only one parent plant, or. in other words, 
selfing or pollinating a plant with its OAvn pollen. It should be 
understood, however, that the basis of the stocks now grown by the 
Bureau of Plant Industry is selfed plants. But there was a delib- 
erate purpose in view in starting in this way. The set of seed was 
uniforndy small in nearly all of these selfs. 

Pollination should be performed as soon as the stigma is receptive 
and the pollen ripe. This stage can be determined by watching the 
anthers as the flowers open. When the flower starts to open, the 
anthers will usually be found with simply a slight crack along one 
side, exposing a narrow line of dusty yellow pollen. After a time, 
Avhich will vary with the light, temperature, and moisture conditions, 
the sides of this rupture Avill roll back, exposing the mass of dusty 
pollen over tlie entire surface of the anther. As soon as this condi- 
tion is evident the pollen should be transferred to the stigma which 
is to be fertilized. The time which it will take from the gaping of 
the flower until the stigma is receptive, i. e.. ready to l)e pollinated, 
will vary Avith atmospheric conditions. Under autumnal conditions 
in the greenhouse in cloudy weather it has taken '27 or :2S hours after 
the tube began to open before the stigma Avas receptive, while in the 
open in July flowers starting to open about sunrise were ready to 
be fertilized at or 10 o'clock. The grower will have to determine 
this period quite definitely. In general, it can be said that the stigma 
is ready to receive pollen as soon as its surface becomes glossy on 
account of the secretion of a viscid fluid, which in this lily is about 
the time when the edges of the anthers have rolled back and com- 
pletely exposed the yellow dusty pollen content. The sooner the pol- 
lination is done after these conditions obtain the better. 

The Easter lily may be gi-own under wide extremes of conditions, 
but it is difficult under conditions which might be termed inter- 
mediate. It seems to be a safe crop when properly handled in the 
climate of either Washin'gton. D. C. or the frostless Bermudas, but 
in the Gidf States it succumbs to the occasional low winter tempera- 
tures. This is not by any means without a parallel, the most strik- 
ing one. possibly, being the hardiness of the Concord grape on the 
Great Lakes and its tenderness to frost conditions in Florida, and is 
readily explainable by the fact that farther north the plants are 
dormant during cold weather, while in the intermediate region they 

' The botanical name of the Easter lilj" is Liliiim lonniflonrvi. The above names desig- 
nate varieties which in commercial literature are usually referred to as here used with- 
out reference to their technical specific designation. L. lonfjWorum. 



LIBRARY-Of tONQ^ESS 
DOOUMENTfi DIVISION 



V -/ (jT V THE EASTER LILY IX XORTHERN CLIMATES. 3 

\ V-* 

may be subjected to severe freezing; weather when in full vegetative 
vigor. 

There is evidence at hand that with care this lily may be grown 
much farther north in selected localities than has thus far been ad- 
vised. There is little doubt that in those northern regions where the 
snowfall is heavy and early, even though the temperatures be very 
low. it can be safely grown in the open ground. 

PRODUCTION ON A SEEDLING BASIS. 

GROWING THE SEED. 

Until such a time as the trade produces seed of the Easter lily and 
offers it for sale, it will be necessary for the grower to raise his own 
seed. The most feasible way to do this now is to procure imported 
bulbs either in the early winter, when they are generally offered for 
sale, or at Easter time, when most of the plants are in blossom, and 
grow seed for planting the following January. 

To insure a good set of seed it is necessar}^ to hand-pollinate each 
flower. (Fig. 1.) The blossoms are so large and their parts so con- 
spicuous, that this is a simple and easy task. Seed may be produced 
in limited quantity without this trouble, but in the greenhouse, espe- 
cially, the fertilization will be largely accidental and the set very 
poor or none at all. 

If it is the florist's object to cross particular varieties, care should 
be exercised that no pollen except that which is wanted gets on the 
stigma. It will be necessary to remove the anthers from the flower 
to be fertilized before they open and spread their pollen. If the 
plant which has been pollinated is set 2 feet or so away from others 
which bear pollen, it is ordinarily safe from contamination in the 
greenhouse. Usualh' the florist is not interested in following up a 
line of breeding, and all that he needs to do is to see that plenty of 
pollen is put on the stigma at the proper time. 

If pollinations are made at Easter, the seed will be ripe early in 
June. (Fig. 2.) 

NECESSITY FOR HAND POLLINATION. 

In the flower of the Easter lily the stigma is quite Avell isolated 
from the anthers. The action of the wind or other agency may cause 
the pollination of a flower with its own pollen. Avhich, of course, is 
the closest kind of selfing. Also, it is possible, when plants are grown 
in the open, that cross-pollination at times ma}' take place through 
the influence of insects and birds, but of this there seems to be little 
evidence. The necessity of hand pollination to obtain full fertiliza- 
tion consequently becomes apparent. Some seed will be obtained 
without anv attention other than allowing the flowers to wither nat- 



4 BULLETIN 962, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICJULTURE. 

urally in the field, but a much better set can always be obtained by 
thorough artificial pollination. 

SELFED COMPARED WITH CROSSED PROGENIES. 

In the recent investigations made by the Bureau of Plant Industry 
iio attempt was made to obtain excessive vigor in the stocks handled. 




I'lG. 1. — roUiuating (hf JCastcr lily. The parts uf tlu- flowir an- so large that eveu the 
convpntional tweezers are disponsod with. 

Some years ago Mr. (Jeorge W. Oliver, Avorking on this subject under 
departmental auspices, developed some remarkably vigorous prog- 
enies by crossing the two commercial strains, Harrisii and Gigan- 
teum.^ Other investigators have obtained similar results by crossinir 

1 Oliver, George W. The production of Easter lily bulhs in the United States. U. S. 
Dept. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus. Bui. 120, 24 pp., 4 pis. 1908. 



THE EASTER LILY IN NORTHERN CLIMATES. 5 

the varieties Multiflorum and Harrisii. The profjjenies with which 
work has been done recently have as their basis selfed plants, i. e., 
those f)roduced from the pollen of a plant used on its own stigma 
instead of on the stigma of another plant of the same or a different 
variety. Subsequently, cross-pollinations of plants in the same lots 
have been practiced for the most part. 

Commonly, but not always, the set of seed in selfed plants is small 
as compared with that obtained when two plants of the same variety 
or of different varieties have been crossed. 




Flo. 2. — A crop (jf Easter lily seed being luoduicd in a greenhouse. 
LONGEVITY OF THE SEED. 

There is but little information as to the length of time that tlie 
seed of the Easter lily will remain viable after it is harvested. Ex- 
perience has shown that if planted as soon as it is gathered it takes 
about twice as long to germinate as when held and planted G months 
later. Perfect germination has occurred when the seed was 18 
months old. This shows that perfect residts may be expected from 
seed held over to the second year. Whether seed can be safely held 
longer is not known. All the seed worked with in these investiga- 
tions was stored in paper sacks in the packing shed of an ordinary 
greenhouse. 



6 BULLETIN 962, U. S. DHPAKTMEXT OF AGRICULTURE. 

PLANTING THE SEED. 

The time of planting seed will depend upon how the florist is going 
to handle his stocks, and possibly upon when his seed becomes avail- 
able. Sowing can be done at any season if suitable moisture condi- 
tions for germination are maintained. If seed is planted out of 
doors, it sliould be sown in late autumn for spring germination. 

For germination in flats, the usual compost of loam, sand, and leaf 
mold witli a very little well-rotted manure is preferred. Good suc- 
cess has been obtained Avith a variety of potting soils, even with quite 
heav}'' clays amelioraced with a little sand and i-ubbish. 

The best practice in sowing the seed is to fill the flat to the proper 
depth and strike the surface to a level. The seed is then scattered 
over this surface and pressed down rather finuly with a piece of 
board. The whole is then covered with one-eighth to one-fourth of 
an inch of fine soil sprinkled over the top. In out-of-door plantings 
it is better to put the seed three-fourths to 1 inch deep. 

HANDLING THE SEED FLATS. 

To the experienced plantsman the best direction that can be given 
on the subject of handling is "keep the flats in proper condition for 
germination." This condition does not differ for most seeds. Mois- 
ture should be kept at the surface constantly, but good provision for 
drainage should be made, so that the soil will never become water- 
logged. 

If it is not possible to keep the surface properly moist without it, 
a pane of glass can be laid over each flat, but if the moisture condi- 
tions of the greenhouse are as they should be this is not necessary. 
It will be all the better not to have had the glass on when the plants 
b.egin to come through, for at this time, especially if the plantings 
are thick, moisture and aerati(m must l)e carefully watched lest damp- 
ing-off occur. 

The flats after germination are preferably kept rather dry. Water- 
ing should be copious, Avith provision for rapid drainage, but at com- 
paratively infrequent intervals, so that the seedlings and the surface 
of the soil be not too wet. Clay seed pans can be used, in which case 
it will not be necessary to wet the .young foliage at all for a time. 

The time it takes for the seed to come up will vary greatly witli 
conditions. The first lot of seed produced in these experiments 
ripened in June. It required six or seven weeks to germinate when 
sown immediately after being gathered. The same seed planted the 
following January came up in three weeks. 

POTTING. 

The exact stage of growth at which Easter lily seedlings should 
be potted may vary considerably. Usually it lias i)een the practice 



THE EASTER LILY IN NORTHERN CLIMATES. 7 

to transfer them to 2-inch pots when the second leaf was fairly well 
developed, although this has been done frequently when the first leaf 
was well straightened out. (Fig. 3.) It does not make much dif- 
ference which practice is followed. At whatever stage they are trans- 
ferred the plants seem to stand still for about three weeks after 
potting, and until the roots get out to the sides of the pot the top 
growth is always next to nothing; but after this the development is 
very rapid. 




Fig. 3.— a flat of .several lots of Easter lily seedlings ready to be potted. 



TRANSPORTATION OF SEEDLINGS. 

There is an opportunity for the development of a business in the 
production of 2-leaved or 3-leaved seedlings, to be furnished to florists 
or others to grow either in pots or in the open ground. 

Such seedlings might be sold either directly from the seed flats or, 
after being established, from a first shift. The plants are as easily 
transported in the 1-leaved to 3-leaved stage as at any other time. 
They have been shipped from Washington, D. C, to California in mail 
packages several times, and have arrived in perfect condition. One 
trial package in fine condition when it reached California Avas re- 
wrapped immediately and returned, but as it was not sufficiently 
protected from the cold it froze on the return trip. 

A successful method of packing is to lay down, first, a strip of 
paper, then on this a ribbon of moist sphagnum moss 2 or 3 inches 
wide. The seedlings are placed on the moss with the tops all one way 



8 BULLKTIN m-l, V. S. DEPARTMENT OF ACiRICITLTURE. 

and extending beyond the sphagnum ribbon. They may be spread 
three or four or more deep, also in a ribbon, on the packing mate- 
rial. When all the seedling plants have been arranged and covered 
with a similar layer of sphagnum, the whole may be rolled up tight, 
the paper being tightly folded about the bottom and loosely folded 
around the top. The package should then be tied and i)acked in a 
strong container, so that it can not move. (Fig. 4.) Thus handled, 
Mie seedlings can be transported cheaply to any pai't of the country. 



TRANSFER TO THE FIELD. 



If the seed of the Kaster lily is sown about the 1st of January and 
potted in early March the plants will be ready to go into the open 




Fiu. 4. — Easter lily soedliugs iii isecoud loaf, showiiij; tli<- uii'thod of i);u'kiug adopted 

for shipment by mail. 

ground in late April or early IMaj', or when they will be safe from 
any inclement weather. They are then knocked out of the pots and 
planted without disturbing the ball of earth. There seems to be no 
checking of growth, the plants taking hold of the ground with no 
loss of time. 

When handled as stated, the 2-inch pots are well tilled with roots 
by the time the plants go into the field. It is therefore possible to 
knock the plants out and carry them to the field in flats, from which 
they are set with a trowel. 



THE EASTER LTI>Y IN NORTHKRX ( T.IMATES. 9 

CONDITIONS IN THE FIELD. 

The experience of the Pmreau of Plant Tnchistrv with these lilies 
has been restricted to a heavy retentive clay soil ameliorated by the 
use of some sand and plenty of very rough stable manure. None of 
these stocks have as yet been grown on sandy soil. 

The seedlings have usually been set out in 3-foot beds 5 to 8 inches 
apart each way, which seems to afford ample space. Between the 
beds a 15-inch path has been left, which is also ample; a 12-inch 
path might 'e sufficient. 

After planting, it is desirable to work a little mulch of some 
suitable material between the plants to assist in preventing the 
ground from baking, preserving moisture, and keeping the soil cool. 
For this purpose sand and spent manure from sweet-potato beds, old 
manure, and even fresh very strawy manure have been used. The 
care of these plantings during the summer has consisted in keeping 
down the weeds by hand and watering during dry weather. In well- 
prepared soil, mulched with some debris, hand weeding is not a seri- 
ous matter. 

DEVELOPMENT DURING THE SUMMER. 

Lily plants set in the field from -i-inch pots in late April or early 
May will begin to throw up scattering stems in July, and some blos- 
soms will appear late in the month. These early-flowering forms 
w^ill be short, few flowered, and in general disappointing. As the 
season advances the stems become longer and bear a large number of 
flowers, but never are the plants in the field as tall as those in the 
greenhouse, although they often reach a height of 24 inches or more. 
^Mien the time for frosts arrives there will be ijlenty of plants show- 
ing either flowers or buds to the number of three to seven, and in 
rare instances as many as a dozen. Possibly 25 per cent will have 
flowered, and the earliest will be maturing their seed, but most of 
the plants, nearly 75 per cent of them, will be in the form of large 
rosettes of basal leaves and plants which have started to form stems. 

REPOTTING FROM THE FIELD. 

Before there is daiigei- of severe frosts in autumn the lily seedlings 
should be repotted for winter flowering. The minimum temperature 
to which they should be subjected out of doors is about 28° F. 

The plants can be dug conveniently Avith a spading fork, ordinary 
care being used not to bruise them. (Fig. 5.) Most of the dirt 
is taken off the roots, and they are laid loosely in boxes, to be trans- 
ferred to the packing shed. Here within three or four days they are 
put into the smallest-sized pots into which they will go. Most of 
them, though, will have to go into 6-inch pots, for the reason that on 

48307°— 21 2 



10 



BULLETIN 962, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



account of the very large root system they can not be put low enough 
in pots of smaller size. There will be a goodly percentage of 
them, however, which can go into 4-inch and 5-inch pots. Whenever 
this is possible they should go into these small pots and be shifted to 
6-inch pots when the smaller sizes are filled with roots. 

LOSS OF LEAFAGE IN REPOTTING FROM THE FIELD. 

It frequently happens that a goodly percentage of the bulbs, 
especially those whicli consist of the smallest number of basal 
leaves, lose all their leafage before they are placed in pots. No 




Fio. 5. — Digging Eastt-r lily seedlings in October, 1920. The seed was sown on No- 
vember 1, 1919. The plants are to be potted for winter flowering. Those which 
have not already flowered will be potted with the tops on and will not wilt. 

change in handling is necessitated by this loss, these bulbs being 
potted and treated precisely like the others. 

A most remarkal)le thing is the subsequent loss of leafage by the 
plants as they grow in the greenhouse. Those plants which are in 
the form of rosettes when repotted will in a few wrecks be seen to lose 
their lower leaves gradually, so that by Christmas there will be but 
little of the field leafage left. Of course, the leaves in this case are 
from bulb scales. The loss never simulates wilting or any other 
apparently unhealthy condition, but looks simply like a gradual 
ripening process. 

This loss of leafage is by no means confined to the scale leaves. The 
same loss takes place in the stem leaves of those plants which were 



THE EASTER LILY IN NORTHERN ("LIMATES. H 

in a more or less advanced stafre of stem development when repotted. 
The lower leaves gradually ripen and dry up in the same wa3% often 
leaving naked a few inches of the stem at the surface of the pot. This 
leaf loss takes place even when the plants have not been subjected to 
frost in the field. 

TRANSPORTATION OF NONDORMANT BULBS. 

The loss of the leaves naturally leads to the question whether it 
will be possible to produce seedling stocks, such as described, and 
transport them in autumn a reasonable distance to be repotted and 
forced. Experience this year seems to indicate that this can be done. 
Bulbs which had lost all their leaves were repotted and came right 
along in good shape, although in some cases they were not potted 
for four days after digging. It would not be surprising if it should 
be found feasible to w^rap the plants singly in paper in a butcher's 
package, even in the advanced rosette stage, and pack them tightly in 
boxes for shipment, but this has not yet been attempted. 

It should be noted that this is very different from the transporta- 
tion of dormant bulbs, although it may not at first seem very dif- 
ferent, especially when the seedling bulbs have lost their leaves. The 
bulbs referred to here, however, are in what might be called a vege- 
tative condition, in distinction from the imported bulb, w^hich is 
dormant. The imported bulb has a well-developed crown ready to 
go on and function the next season. The seedlings set out in May and 
dug from the field in a vegetative condition in October have a crowm 
also, but it is in process of growth and its growth will build up 
another crown for the next season's development about the time that 
the plant blossoms. The fact that the bulbs can lose all their leaA'es 
at potting time and still go on and function satisfactorily from the 
same crown seems to warrant the conclusion that they can be trans- 
ported safely for moderate distances. 

CARE AFTER REPOTTING. 

The plants are repotted from the field in all stages of development, 
from a rosette of basal leaves only to plants in full bud. (Fig. 6.) 
All can be potted in the same way and handled alike afterwards. 
It has been the practice to keep the pots on the benches in the green- 
house without heat from the time of repotting in October as long 
as the night temperature does not go below 40° F. As soon as there 
is necessity for heat a temperature of 45° to 50° F. is maintained at 
night until early December and then increased to a maximum of 60° 
F. The plants continue to flower during this period and from this 
time forward. 



12 



BULLETIN 962, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



HANDLING PLANTS THAT HAVE FLOWERED IN THE FIELD. 

At difj^ing time the early seedlings (lig. 7) which have already 
blossomed in the field should be separated from the others and the 
stems cut off, but they can be potted like those which have not flow^ered 
and made to flower again by Easter, thus giving one small and one 
normal crop of flowers in 18 months from seed. The}^ require no 
different treatment from those Avhich have not flowered. However, 
if the florist desires, he can plunge them outside or treat them in all 
respects like imported bulbs. 




Fig. 6. — A group of sci'illiugs of the Ksistrr lily of the 1!)1U progeuy, selcctod from the 
field in late autumn to show diversity in development. Photographed a few days 
after they were potted from the field. AH are of the same age. 

GROUPING SEEDLING STOCKS. 



As the bulbs are potted from the field it is potssible to segregate 
them into five or more groups. One grou]) will be in full bud and 
will blossom within 10 days or two weeks. Another can be made to 
blossom for Thanksgiving, another for Christmas, another in Febru- 
ary, and the last for Easter. The last group -svill include the most 
backward of the plants in the field which have not flowered, together 
with the early-flowering forms Avhich are to blossom the second time. 
Of course, by holding them at different temperatures, all except those 
in bud, and possibly even those, can be made to blossom at the later 
date. 



THE EASTER LII.Y IX NORTHERN CLIMATES. 



13 



NATURE AND APPEARANCE OF THE SEEDLINGS REPOTTED FROM THE FIELD. 

As will be noted from the statements made on previous pages, the 
seedlings at potting time are exceedingly A-ariable, the greatest varia- 
tion occurring in the time at which they flower first, but there are also 
great differences of form aside from mere stature. (See fig. 6.) 

As has been stated, the early-flowering plants are short, 12 or 15 
inches high, but those in full bud at repotting time are 2 to 2^ feet 
high and bear three to five flowers or more, while the first ones to 
open have one or two flowers as a rule. 




Fig. 7. — Easter lily seedlings. Seed planted January 1. lStl» ; pricked off in March ; 
set in the field May 1 ; blossomed in late July ; photographed October 6, 1919. Two 
of the bulbs are double nosed ; all are 6g to 8 inches in circumference. 

Below those showing buds there are plants in all stages of growth. 
Some have a few inches to a foot of stem with no buds showing, 
while others present a varying degree of basal leaf development 
with no signs of stem growth. It is in this late group, which has 
the most prolific development of basal leaves, that the grower will 
find the most robust plants and also the most floriferous ones. It 
is not at all uncommon for these, when the flower steni appears, to 
show very large ones bearing 8 to 15 flowers. 

Of all the field stocks thus handled, the preference is for the late- 
flowering forms, which bear a luxuriant growth of basal leaves, form- 
ing a large rosette at the surface of the ground at repotting time. 



14 Bl'LLETIX W2, U. S. DEPARTMEXT OF AGRIt'ULTURE. 

These are invariably vigorous and productive. Each of these basal 
leaves in seedlings tips a bulb scale, and it is found that the plants 
which hold back and build up a large store by the development of 
an abundant strong basal leafage before throwing up their flower 
stalks are the strongest and most productive. 

The plants which have blossomed in the field are exceedingly in- 
teresting from the fact that they bear mostly double-nosed bulbs, 
which when potted will give at the second blossoming two stems 
bearing two to five flowers each. (See fig. 7.) Why this pre- 
ponderance of double-nosed bulbs occurs at this stage so promi- 
nently in field-grown seedlings is not entirely clear. The condition 
is more general than in pot-grown plants, i. e., those kept in pots 
in the greenhouse through their first flowering. It looks sometimes 
as though the stem in the field is of such great diameter as actually 
to force a separation of one side of the bulb from the other, thus 
compelling the formation of two crowns for the next season instead 
of one. as normally obtains in bulbs of the same size developed vege- 
tatively from small bulbs. 

BEHAVIOR OF THE SEEDLINGS AFTER REPOTTING FROM THE FIELD. 

The methods of handling the seedlings after they are repotted from 
the field have been considered under another heading. Their be- 
havior is most satisfactory. In two years' experience in handling 
them in this way they have never even appreciably wilted, although 
three or four days have sometimes elapsed between the time of dig- 
ging and the end of the potting. 

In the handling incident to the transfer from the field to the pots 
some and fre»|uently all of the leaves are broken off. for the basal 
leaves of seedlings, attached as they are to the tips of the scales, are 
quite brittle. There is, consequently, a goodly number of the bulbs 
which are entirely without leafage when ready to pot. No attention 
is paid to this, these bulbs being potted like the others. They in- 
variably come on again in fine condition from the same crown: in 
other words, they are not to be distinguished from the dormant im- 
ported bulbs except that they grow more rapidly. 

Strange as it may seem, these repotted seedlings, although moved 
with care and wilting but little, have to make in large measure a new 
root system after being potted from the field. Plants at all stages of 
growth, even up to full well-advanced buds which will open in 10 
days, can be successfully repotted, but even these make an almost 
entirely new root svstem. 

For this reason it will not do to subject the plants to heat until 
the pots have filled with roots again, any more than it is permissible 
to subject poorly rooted imported bulbs to such treatment. This 
point should be kept in mind. The grower should realize that he can 



THE EASTEB LILY I^T [^sOETHERN CLIMATES. 15 

not subject these vegetatively potted plants to heat at the same stage 
of top development as dormantly potted bulbs. He should remem- 
ber that these seedlings, which are all the way from large rosettes to 
plants in full bud and are perfectly " fit '^ in appearance, may have 
a great paucity of roots until new ones have had a chance to develop. 

It is not intended to give the impression that all the roots on 
plants which come from the field rot off. but many, and probably 
most of them as a rule, and often all of them. do. In spite of this 
loss and the additional loss of leaves which may or may not accom- 
pany it. the plants seem to recover and continue to grow until they 
flower in a perfectly satisfactory manner. 

TVliat probably occurs is a rejuvenation or reestablishraent of the 
uninjured roots and often of uninjured portions, all others decaying 
during the time that the plants are becoming established in the pots 
by the development of a new root system. There is need for careful 
investigation to determine to what extent the subsequent growth of 
plants would be injured by the complete removal of the root system 
when repotting them from the field while in vegetative condition. 

In the care of this lily the importetl bulbs always have their roots 
trimmed close, while an attempt is made with many lilies to save as 
much of the root system as is possible in handling. 

It will probably he much better not to attempt to set a time limit 
on the period required for the lily plants to reroot at a temperature 
of 40° to 50° F. at night. It will be much safer for the grower to de- 
pend upon the condition of the root system, which is most accurately 
gauged by an examination of the plant knocked out of the pot: The 
same conditions should govern the application of heat here as with 
imported stocks, with which the grower is familiar. 

TREATMENT OF SEEDLINGS NOT INTENDED FOR WINTER FLOWERING. 

The previous discussion is based on the assumption that the lily 
seedlings are to be brought into the greenhouse for their first flower- 
ing, or in the case of the early ones for their second flowering, upon 
the advent of cold weather in late autumn. If the intention, on the 
other hand, is to carry them out of doors, it will be realized that the 
plants are at two decided disadvantages with reference to the ap- 
proaching cold weather. 

In the first place, all plants that have not flowei-ed are going into 
the winter in full vegetative vigor and. in the second place, they are 
shallowly set on clean-tilled ground. Under such conditions in the 
climate of Washington. D. C, they may not winter successfully. 

A very heavy mulch of coarse material, such as cornstalks, might 
protect the bulbs sufficiently, but it is believed to be much the better 
method of treatment to dig and reset them at the proper level before 
the ground freezes in the fall. The digging can be done either before 



16 BUTJ.ETIN {Xi2, V. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICXTLTURE, 

or after the tops are cut by freezing weather, but before there is 
(hmger of the ground freezing to any great extent. All the top 
growth should be cut off and the bulbs reset about 4 inches deep and 
mulched, preferabh- with an inch or two of manure, after the ground 
freezes a little. In the latitude of Washington, D. C, the digging and 
resetting can be done most advantageously about the 1st of November, 
when it is advised that dormant bulbs generally be planted. Handled 
in this way the seedlings will have a maximum period of development 
and will still have time to get a firm hold oii the soil before winter 
sets in. 

TREATMENT OF SEEDLINGS AFTER THEY HAVE FLOWERED IN THE GREENHOUSE. 

The disposition made of the bulbs after flowering will depend en- 
tirely upon circumstances. If the florist sells potted plants, that, 
of course, is the end of the transaction. He will then produce more 
seed and raise a new crop of seedlings for each winter's flowering, 
as described in previous pages. If, as is more likely the case in all 
middle latitudes, he wishes to work up stocks of vegetatively propa- 
gated bulbs to be handled like imported stocks, it will be necessar}' 
to preserve the bulbs as his potted plants flower. In this case, the 
flowers can be cut with short stems for formal pieces, or even with 
a foot of stem cut. The pots should then be kept rather dry and 
allowed to dry up completely within a month or six weeks. Any 
time after the 1st of April, or before if the soil can be worked, the 
bulbs can be planted in the open ground. 

The plants will blossom again in late July. In the fall they will 
be dug, the largest bulbs taken out for forcing or for sale, and the 
increase replanted in order to continue the outdoor growing. 

PRODUCTION ON A VEGETATIVE BASIS. 

PLANTING VEGETATIVELY PROPAGATED STOCKS. 

The previous pages deal with seedling stocks up to the time they 
are ready to be propagated vegetatively, as the Easter lily is usually 
produced. If these same stocks are to be grown continuously the 
handling must, of course, be modified. Normallj^ the lily bulbs will 
be planted in late autumn; but if the first-year seedlings have been 
flowered in thef greenhouse the bulbs will have to be planted out as 
soon as the ground can be worked in the spring. 

The character of the field planting will probably resolve itself 
into a bed eventually, mainly on account of the advantage of a 
mulch, which becomes an excessive burden in any but the most in- 
tensive fonn of culture. No better method of planting can be 
recommended than the Dutch bed, in which the planted space is 3 
feet wide, with a 1'2-inch to 15-inch path between the beds. The bulbs 
are planted seven to nine or more to the row across the bed. (Fig. 8.) 



THE EASTEE LILY IN NORTHERN CLIMATES. 



17 



The bulbs should be separated into four or five sizes before plant- 
ing. In spring plantings of the seedling bulbs out of the house, two 
sizes will probably be sufficient ; for in this ease the bulbs will be large, 
with very little, if any, propagation. They will be simply the large 
seedling bulbs. Assuming that the rows are uniformly 6 to 8 inches 
apart, the larger of these sizes can be planted about seven to the row 
and the smaller nine to the row. They should be uniformly spaced 
and set up. After the seedlings have been grown outside for a year, 
however, there will be a large propagation of bulblets, and c(mse- 
quently it will be better to make four or five sizes. 




Fig. 8. — Bulbs being planted in a Dutch bed. 



In starting the planting on the bed plan, it is necessary to line out 
the beds carefully with taut lines, marked off by running a spade 
down 2 or 3 inches along the line and scraping the soil toward the 
center of the bed from either side. The soil is then thrown out of the 
first bed to a depth of about 4 inches and the bottom raked to a level. 
The bulbs are then set and spaced, as already described. The soil 
from the opening of the second bed is used to cover the bulbs in the 
first, and so on to the end of the plat. Figure 8 shows this method 
of planting the narcissus on Puget Sound and illustrates the opera- 
tion very well. 

After the first year there will be more than two sizes, as there will 
be plenty of stem bulblets at the next digging. It will then be neces- 
sary to plant a larger number to the row. One may have 14 and 21 



18 BIJLLKTIN (K52, [\ S. DKPAnTAIEXT OF AOniCULTURE. 

to the row set up, and another size strewn along the row about one to 
the inch. The latter shoukl not be covered so deeply as the large 
bulbs. 

A modification of the above method of planting which obviates the 
moving of so much soil has pro\od satisfactory. The ground is pre- 
pared as before and preferably floated or rolled. Rows are then 
opened up lengthwise of the bed with a wheel hoe having a plow 
attachment. A row is opened and planted, and then the second row 
is opened ;.nd the first covered by the same operation. Five or six of 
these rows 6 to 8 inches apart are ])lanted ; then a row is skipped for 
a path and the next bed started. Either of these forms of setting 
gives a thick jdanting. which it is believed is the most economical of 
space, labor, and materials. 

TIME TO PLANT NORMAL VEGETATIVELY PROPAGATED STOCKS. 

In vegetative propagation the time of planting will always be late 
autumn, though the date will vary with the locality. There are two 
important requirements that should be met. The bulbs should be 
well rooted before the ground gets so cold that no growth can take 
place. On the other hand, they should be planted so late that top 
growth will not take place before winter. The grower should en- 
deavor to strike a balance between these two extremes, remembering 
that this lily does not stop groAving so long as the moisture and tem- 
perature conditions are favorable. It is this characteristic that makes 
the crop a precarious one on portions of the Gulf coast, where suit- 
able growing weather for it is likely to be interspersed with sudden 
drops of temperature which are severe enough to cut the top growth. 

In the climate of Washington, D. C, the best time to plant is about 
the first of November, Even at this late date the plants sometimes 
come through in very open winters and are somewhat yellowed by 
subsequent cold weather in early spring, but no injury has been 
apparent thus far, 

MULCHING, 

The matter of a mulch is of sufficient importance to be treated 
separately; indeed, it has sometimes seemed that a mulch expressed 
the difference between success and a large measure of failure in 
growing these jjlants under field conditions. 

The mulch serves a dual purpose. It is an adjunct to the fertilizer 
applied and a protective covering as well. The application should 
consist of an inch or two of manure. The material should be either 
fine or strawy and not cloddy, so as not to interfere with the plants 
coming through. 

The application should be made in early winter after the ground 
has cooled off sufficiently so that groAvth is stopped, and it should 
remain durinjj; the "frowiiiir season. 



THE EASTER LILY IN NORTHERN CLIMATES. 19 

A summer mulch is considered as important in the culture of this 
lily as a winter one. Most lilies grow where there is a soil cover 
of some kind — many of them where this cover is a grassy one and 
others where the ground is just as effectively protected by brusii. 
under and between which the lilies grow, sticking their heads above 
the canopy to flower. 

Lilium longifor'um^ with the forms of which we are dealing, pro- 
duces a mass of roots from the stem above the bulb and near the sur- 
face of the ground. For the best results these roots, as well as those 
from the bulb, must have good conditions for development and must 
not be disturbed. This condition is admirably produced by a manure 
mulch, which not onh^ furnishes plenty of fertility but prevents the 
soil from drying out and baking and also equalizes its temperature 
to a remarkable degree. One should keep in mind that this lily, like 
most other lilies, likes to have its feet moist and cool and protected 
both summer and winter, but its head must be in full light. 

FLOWERING TIME FOR SEEDLINGS AND MATURE STOCKS. 

Attention has been called in a general way to the irregular blos- 
soming of a seedling generation. The experimental stocks in 1920, 
sown on November 1, 1919, began to flower in early July, at the 
same time as the out-of-door vegetatively propagated plants. The 
last of the progeny did not open its flowers before the end of May, 
1921. All of these seedlings were kept under precisely the same con- 
ditions from the time of sowing the seed, and all operations, such 
as pricking off, potting, etc., were performed in as short a time as 
ordinarily would be possible. In spite of this identical handling, 
there was an extreme variation of 11 months in the time of flowering. 

In all progenies which have been grown in the last six years the 
behavior has been similar. When, however, these same bulbs have 
been handled normally for vegetative stocks, i. e., planted in No- 
vember, they have all flowered within a short space of time. (Fig. 9.) 
Two or three weeks cover the entire blossoming period, which is 
as close as would be the case with imported varieties grown out of 
doors in the same way. 

THE CUT FLOWERS. 

As in bulb culture, there is always a temptation to utilize the 
crop of flowers when there is sale for them. It has been found that 
it is practicable to cut off half of the stem in the first flowering of 
the seedlings in the greenhouse and still preserve the bulbs for start- 
ing vegetative propagation by planting out in the spring. The pots, 
after the cutting, are dried off rather quickly and the bulbs left in 
the soil until ready to plant out. There are no data on the compara- 
tive value of stocks thus flowered and those which have had their 



20 



BTLLKTIX !t<i2, V . S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICUT/rrRK. 



tops cut off and planted at normal depths out of doors to Mower the 
next year. The bulbs are without much doubt weakened by this cut- 
ting jind quick drying off, but they blossom well again in late July 
in the field and appear to recuperate perfectly in one season. 

In normal vegetative propagation the flowers in the field should be 
removed when in bud or shortly after they open. If there is a sale 
for them the individual flower stems 4 to 6 inches long may be safely 
taken off, in wliich case the blossoms can be utilized for formal pieces; 
but no leafage should be removed from the plants. If there is no 
object in letting the flowers open they can just as well, and more easily, 
be snapped off in late bud. 




Pig. 9. — A block of about 1,500 mature bulbs ot the Kastcr lily being seeded at the 
Arlington Experimental Farm, Va. In the foreground are seedlings of the current 
year. Photographed on .Tuly 7, lOUO. 

TIME TO HARVEST FALL-PLANTED STOCKS. 

It mu.st be frankly a(hnitted tliat the l)est time to dig the Inilbs 
of the Easter lily is not known. It is well known, however, that 
the period over which they ma}^ be dug and good results obtained is 
longer than with most bulbous plants. 

With bulbous stocks generally the tops are allowed to die down 
before the jjlants are dug. but unless a severe drought occurs very 
few of these lilies will die before frost cuts them down in the fall. 
In a field planting nearly all the stems are in vegetative vigor 
when cold weather starts, though a few scattering stems may show 
signs of maturing. 

Probably the best guide to tlie time of digging is the formation 
of the new crown for the next year's growth, but to the uninitiated 
this may be difficult to interpret properly. At times the abundant 



THE EASTEK LILY IN NORTHERN CLIMATES. 21 

formation of new roots, which appear in earh' September, has been 
the guide, and digging has been done when this occurs. This is 
probably to be looked upon as a reaction to more favorable temper- 
atures for growth rather than an indication of maturity, but. never- 
theless, stocks dug in early September, as the summer tempera- 
tures abate, have behaved perfectly under forcing and field condi- 
tions the next season. When dug at this season though, the bulbs 
must be looked upon as not fully mature and as comparable to much 
of the imported stock from Japan, which also is dug while in full 
vegetative vigor. 

Digging has been done from September 10 to October 30. The 
performance of the bulbs dug during this period is about the same, 
so far as has been observed, but no careful comparative tests have 
been made. 

AVhen the bulbs are dug late there is commonly a small per- 
centage of the stocks in which growth has started from the next 
season's crown. This growth is more likely to take place in the 
propagation than in the old bulbs. There is little doubt that there is 
in this characteristic a basis for selection, to which attention is now 
being given. 

To sum up this matter, it can be said that the bulbs can be dug 
from September 10 to October 15 or 20 and that the late digging 
probably gives the best-matured bull)s, although those dug earlier 
apparently develop satisfactorily. 

METHODS OF PROPAGATION. 

Any plant to become widely useful must be able to make rapid in- 
crease. Lilies in general have been considered the aristocrats of the 
flower kingdom because of their beauty and the difficulties in pro- 
ducing them, but the Easter lily can be grown from seed so as to 
blossom in less than a year and can be produced vegetatively in one 
season. There are many methods of increasing the stock. 

SEED. 

Propagation by seed has been discussed in previous pages, and the 
method of handling has been fully described. Seed propagation 
gives clean stock and is a (juick way of getting blossoming plants. It 
is also exceedingly desirable for various other reasons. It furnishes 
a quick and easy Avay to build up stocks from a few plants. It en- 
ables the small grower or the florist to produce his own forcing stocks 
and to get blossoms continuously from seven months after planting 
the seed up to and including the second Easter following the seeding. 
The method of propagation by seed is also very economic \\ of time 
and effort, since the stocks may be carried out of doors for six months 
on a space practically equal to the size of the greenhouse required to 



22 



BULLETliX 962, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRK^ULTURE. 



force them. Even in very cold regions where the plants will not 
stand the winter climate, florists can still produce their own flower- 
ino- plants,' for by this method of propa<ration the stocks are 

flowered in the green- 
iiouse during the 
winter, having made 
their development 
out of doors during 
the summer. 

BULBLETS. 

In the iiatural 
course of growing 
the plants, besides 
the bulb or bulblet 
planted, there is a 
propagation along 
the stem of from 1 
to 30 bulblets which 
form in the axils of 
the leaf scales under 
the ground. (Fig. 
10.) This is the most 
common method of 
propagation and is 
ample for continu- 
ing the stock and in- 
creasing it from year 
to year. These bulb- 
lets are taken off the 
stems at digging 
time and planted to 
continue the propa- 
gation. Commercial 
bulbs can be pro- 
duced from the best 
of these in one year. 
They will not be so 
large as some com- 
mercial stocks now imported, but they will produce better. 

SCALES. 

The bulbs may be broken up into their individual scales, which can 
be planted in the open ground 2 inches deep or in flats in the green- 




Ki(.. III. Two .stems at tlu' Kaster lily, showing the differ- 
ent character of reproduction. On the right seven bulb- 
lets 2g to 3J inches liave been produced ; on the left 
are 20 bulblets 2 to 2= inches. The former is much the 
more desirable. Photographed late in October, 1920. 



THE EASTER LILY IX NORTHERN CLIMATES. 



23 



house. Bulblets form on the cut end of tlie scale, as in most lilies. 
The scales may also be incubated in a moist atmosphere in summer : 
the growth of the bulblets then becomes very much accelerated. They 
may be handled almost exactly like hyacinths in propagation, except 
that if they are not covered they require an atmosphere somewhat 
more moist. 




Fig. 11. — Propagatiou of the Easter lily by cuttiugs inserted in'saud iu a greenhouse. 
The results shown were obtained in about three months. A, & 4-lcaf cutting in which 
three bulblet.s have developed ; B, a cutting from the terminal portion of a nonflower- 
ing stem ; C, the best of the bulblets found on the cuttings ; D, a cutting from th'' 
terminal portion of a stem, showing bulblets formed above ground as well as below. 



CUTTINGS. 

Cuttings of side shoots and various portions of stems with three or 
more leaf scales stuck in moist sand will live and form bulblets in a 
surprisingly short time. Such cuttings, so far as is known, do not 
root, but bulblets form in the axils of their leaves and these soon strike 
root. Figure 11 shows this well. Such gi'owth as is shown in this 
illustration can be made in three months or less, 



24 BULLETIN 9i)2, V. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRTCITLTUBE. 

LAYERING. 

Old stems which have blossomed may be layered in moist sand or 
simply laid on the surface of the ground in a moist atmosphere. 
When this is done bulblets form readily along the lower part of the 
stem. 

BULB DIVISION. 

A natural propagation takes place in the Easter lily, as in nearly all 
other lilies, by the division of the bulb into two or more after it 
reaches maturity. After such a division it is necessary to plant the 
units out one year to round up, or they can be forced as doul)le- 
nosed bulbs. 

BEST METHODS OF PROPAGATION. 

The most useful methods of propagating the Easter lily are by seed 
and bulblet formation, the latter being the most common and in 
middle latitudes the most practicable for the production of dormant 
bulbs. 

At present it seems advisable for growers intending to produce dor- 
mant bulbs for sale to start their propagation from seed, because of 
the freedom from disease and the greater vigor and general cleanli- 
ness of such stocks when compared with abused imported bulbs. 

CONTROLLING BULBLET FORMATION. 

A very large measure of control can be exercised by llic grower 
over the amount of ])ropagation. If the stocks are set shallow there 
will be less propagation by far tlian if the planting be deeper. In 
heavy, poorly aerated soils, however, there is a limit to the efficacy 
of deep planting, as the formation of bulblets is mostly confined to 
the upper 3 or 4 inches of soil. This fact is well brought out in figure 
12, in which the bulblet formation will be seen to take place in the 
well-aerated soil near the surface of the ground. 

It is also feasible to increase the propagation by the addition of 
more mulch or by banking up around the plants with earth. 

SOIL FOR EASTER LILIES. 

The Bureau of Plant Industry is not in a position to discuss the 
subject of soil for Easter lilies very exhaustively, for the reason that 
its stocks up to this time liave been grown on only one type of soil. 
It can be said Avith confidence, however, that a clay loam is well 
adapted to the plants. 

The soil on which these stocks of Easter lilies have been 
grown is basically a heavy, lean, bakey clay. This" has been 
ameliorated with some sand, liberal dressings of rough manure, and 
cover crops. The response to this treatment has been all that 



THE EASTER LTLY IN NORTHERN CLIMATES. 



25 



could be expected. 
As stated elsewhere, 
tlie winter mulch has 
been left on during 
the summer, in order 
to prevent the soil 
from baking. Suc- 
cess has also been 
obtained with these 
lilies in a plastic 
clay fill, ameliorated 
with hard-coal ashes 
and rough organic 
debris. 

SOIL FERTILITY. 

The production of 
bulbs of the Easter 
lily is on a par with 
bulb production gen- 
erally in so far as 
fertilizer require- 
ments are concerned. 
The procedure is to 
haA^e well-fertilized 
soil and crop it to 
its limit. An}' one 
familiar with the 
root system of a well- 
dev eloped Easter 
lily bulb knows that 
there is not much 
left in ordinary soil 
after a bulb has been 
grown in each 6-inch 
square. The plants 
are gross feeders and 
for good results nnist 
be supplied with an 
abundance of avail- 
able plant food. A 
good market gardener's application of fertilizer will answer very 
well. 




Fig. 12. — The underground parts af an Easter lily plant at 
digging time. The bulblet formation, it will he seen, 
is in the upper 3 or 4 inches of soil. Thotographed 
from a plant set very deep, as was considered necessary 
in northern climates when these investigations were 
begun. 



26 BULLETlJiT 1)62, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGBICULTUEE. 

The fertilizer used will be that which is most available. As indi- 
cated above, the experimental culture described in these paojes has 
been on poor soil fertilized with stable manure, and the o;round has 
been covered with crops to turn under whenever the time during 
Avhich it was not occupied would permit. Manures should be well 
incorporated and applied sufficiently in advance of planting to avoid 
the detrimental effects of raw fertilizers. Experience indicates that 
rots in the base of the bulbs are rather easily induced by carelessness 
in the use of manures. 

STORAGE OF BULBS. 

Bulbs of the Easter lily should be exposed to atmospheric in- 
fluences as short a time as possible. Imported stocks are packed in 
pulverized dry earth as soon as possible after they are dug. In this 
pack the evil effect of a bulb mass is avoided, the bulbs are kept dry, 
and excessive desiccation is prevented. 

Cold-storage handling has been developed to a high degi'ee of per- 
fection. The bulbs are held 2 degrees above the freezing point for 
a year, and in some cases for two years, and still they give results. 
They usually go into storage in the original pack. 

The handling of home-grown stocks is, of course, a matter for 
experiment. There is much to learn about it. The temperature 
must be kept down, the atmosphere kept dry, and the ventilation 
controlled, so as to prevent the bulbs from wilting too much. These 
requirements are not difficult to fulfill in September or October in 
a reasonably well-arranged building which is dry. The light on the 
bulbs should also l)e subdued or they will turn green in a short time. 
It is particularly important that the atmosphere of the storage house 
l^e dry, because root action starts very quickly in a moist atmosphere 
and blue mold is likely to cause trouble. If the bulbs must be kept 
out of the ground longer than a month, or six weeks at most, they are 
better packed in pulverized dry earth, as are imported stocks. 

Stocks of bulbs of the Easter lily have been carried by the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture on a basis not altogether ideal. The bulbs were 
out of the ground in 1920 from September 20 to Xovember 1 and were 
somewhat wilted when planted, but not injuriously so. After digging 
they were w^orked over on the benches in a greenhouse, a very bad 
place. They were then stored in a poorly ventilated half basement 
which was only moderately dry. 

It is not a difficult matter to hold the bulbs over wanter in the 
climate of Washington, D, C. They have been carried over for 
spring planting in almost perfect condition Avhen packed like im- 
ported bulbs in dry sand in boxes and buried in dry earth under a 
porch of a dwelling. The box was put down in the ground 1 foot 



THE EASTER LILY IN NORTHERN CLIMATES. 2Y 

and had an added covering of another foot of dry leaves. These 
bulbs kept in good condition up to the 1st of May. 

SIZES OF MERCHANTABLE BULBS. 

Imported stocks of Easter lily bulbs range in size from 6 to 12 
inches in circumference, the price charged being roughly propor- 
tional to the size of the bulb and indicating in a general way that 
there is merit in large size which is of advantage to the florist. 
There is a difference of opinion on this point, and some of the best 
growers use the smaller sizes. 

Commonly, the prices quoted are the same per case for all sizes. 
In a recent quotation by one of the leading importers, five sizes of 
Formosums, running from 6 to 11 inches, are advertised at the same 
price per case ; but the number of bulbs in the case varies from 100 
for the large size to 350 for the smaller. Here there is a difference 
of 3-|- to 1 when the number of bulbs is considered. 

It is believed that the yield from the successful culture of im- 
ported bulbs is somewhere between three and five flowers per plant 
for all sizes. There are no comparative records of the performance 
of different-sized bulbs available, but practical growers express sat- 
isfaction with the yield mentioned. 

Investigations by the Bureau of Plant Industry are not yet ex- 
tensive enough to warrant more than partial conclusions with ref- 
erence to these matters, but the few records which have been made 
are verj^ suggestive and seem to indicate that the performance of 
domestic stocks is superior to that of the imported bulbs ; at least, re- 
sults which are superior to those just mentioned are secured. This 
may be due to the better condition of the bulbs, owing to the short 
time during which the domestic stocks are out of the ground. It is 
not believed that the manner of handling accounts for the better 
behavior. Whatever be the cause, it has been possible to obtain an 
average yield of more than five flowers from bulbs only 5 to 6 inches 
in circumference, the smallest size that the florist uses, or smaller. 

This in reality is a very important matter. It means that if sat- 
isfactory results can be secured under forcing conditions from do- 
mestic bulbs 5 to 7 inches in circumference, they can be produced 
abundantly in one year from stem bulblets. This is not less than a 
year shorter time than is at present required to produce bulbs in 
foreign countries. 

It should be noted that the best of the stem bulblets will blossom 
the first year of independent existence and grow to forcing size. 
(Fig. 13.) In one test an average of more than two flowers per bulb 
was secured under forcing conditions from 110 selected bulblets. 
some producing five and six flowers. (Fig. 14.) 



28 



BULLETIN 062, U. S. DKPART.MEXT OF AGRICULTURi:. 



VARIETAL SELECTIONS. 

But little has been accomplished in the segregation of uniform 
strains of Easter lilies. The seedlings are especially variable in form, 
and it is thought that selections based on individual performance 
will yield the best results. In seedlings in the vegetative condition 
upward of 80 more or less distinct types are recognizable. They have 
not been studied long enough to determine their relative qualities. 
This will take time. 

The season at which distinctions in vegetative characters are most 
noticeable is that just preceding the formation of flowei- buds, strange 
as it may seem, but there are many charactei's which are quite pro- 



V... 




Fig. 13. — Four stem bull)lets from a single stem, measuring 3g to 4 inches in eitcum- 
ference. These bulblets will be large enough to force after growing one year. This 
kind of reproduction is much more desirable than a larger number of smaller 
bulblets. 

nounced even in the rosette stage. Selections can profitably be made 
before the buds show, and a reselection after the flowers open. It will 
probably be worth while also to make selections based on bulb char- 
acteristics. 

Whether the early-flowered seedlings perpetuate the characteristic 
of early flowering in the vegetative progeny is not known. Some 
plants start into new growth early, i. e., the new crowns for the next 
year begin to grow even before the first flowers have faded. Fortu- 
nately, the percentage of these is small, and they probably should be 
eliminated. The desirable bulb is one that forms a large, promising 
crown for next year's performance which remains dormant during 
autumn if not disturbed. 



THE EASTEE LILY IN NORTHERN CLIMATES. 



29 



Another aspect of the subject is the desirability of producing uni- 
formity in seedlings, a much more difficult matter than to produce it 
in the vegetatively propagated progenies selected from these seed- 
lings. This also is being attempted. 

THE EASTER LILY IN BEDS AND BORDERS. 

No lily is more satisfactory for beds and borders than the Easter 
lily. It IS also well adapted in our middle latitudes for permanent 
plantings. In spite of what has been said in previous pages about 
the necessity of making plantings so late that no top growth will 
take place, in a permanent planting there is a wonderful adaptation, 




Fig. 14. — A selected lot of 110 stem bulblets forced iu order to determine their flower- 
ing qualities. The smallest are in the foreground. Three did not flower. The 
average for the entire lot was 21 flowers per plant, one producing six flowers. 

and under ordinary conditions there is no more danger from forced 
early growth than with many other herbaceous perennials. 

In permanent plantings the stems should be allowed to function 
until quite late in the autumn. If they do not die down naturally 
they can be allowed to grow until killed by frost. It is seldom cold 
enough for this, though, in the climate of Washington, D. C, before 
the regular time of planting, about November 1. 

In permanent plantings it is advisable to allow the plants to set 
seed. Observations seem to show that the stem functions longer in 
autumn when a crop of seed is being produced than when the pods 
have been removed. The late functioning of the old stem retards 
activity in the next season's growth until the ground becomes too 
cold for top growth to take place. 



30 BULLETIN %2, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 

Late in the season, say about November 1. it is desirable to f^o 
over the beds and loosen the soil around the stems, being careful 
not to interfere with the bulbs. After the soil is loosened a quick 
jerk will remove the stem and its bulblets, leaving the l)ulb in place 
for next season's growth. It is very desirable that this be done in 
order to prevent the plants from becoming too crowded. Instead 
of jerking the stem out of the bulb it may be cut off below the bull)- 
lets where the stem is bare. DeejJ planting — 6 to 8 inches — is ad- 
visable for permanent plantings of this kind. 

LENGTHENING THE FLOWER SEASON OUT OF DOORS. 

Bulbs planted at the regular planting time, the 1st of November, 
will blossom in the climate of Washington, D. C, in early July. 
If the bulbs are held over and planted as soon as the ground can 
be worked in the spring they will blossom a month later, ana seed- 
lings grown from sowings made the 1st of January will begin to 
open about the same time as spring-planted bulbs. These will con- 
tinue to flower until frost. 

To get blossoms out of doors earlier than from normal stocks is 
a little more difficult, but still entirely possible. Bulbs can be put 
into 4-inch pots and set aAvay at a temperature of 40° F. early in the 
year. They can be kept in frames and brought to varying degrees of 
development by spring, when they can be knocked out of the pots 
and set in the open. It will make no difference except to slow up 
their growth if the temperature goes below the freezing point for 
short periods a few times after the plants are well rooted. Handled 
in this way they can be brought to flower at least a month earlier 
than normal November planted stocks, thus giving blossoming plants 
out of doors from May until frost. 

REDUCING THE COST OF HEAT IN FORCING. 

By a little maneuvering, and this is always necessary in getting a 
batch of lilies in blossom for any particular date, methods can be 
worked out for flowering lilies with much less cost for fuel than now 
obtains with imported stock. 

Seedlings potted from the field in October, in various stages of de- 
velopment, can be put into groups according to size and held in 
frames until the first of the year if wanted for Easter. The most 
advanced of them will need no heat until a later date, and from that 
time they can be kept much cooler than is usual with freshly potted 
bulbs. 

It is suggested that it may be entirely feasible to carry bulbs in 
ordinary storage so far into the summer that when planted out they 
can be repotted for winter flowering in the field after as much as a 



THE EASTER LILY IN NORTHERN CLIMATES. 31 

foot of stem has formed. With cold storage for a month or two, of 
course, this procedure would be possible. 

It is thought that methods of timing stocks can be worked out for 
the warmer sections of California so that the plants can be brought 
into flower at almost any season with no artificial heat. 

These possibilities, coupled with the further one of holding tlie cut 
flowers for two or three months in cold storage, suggest many modi- 
fications in handling and in supplying cut flowers for tlie market. 

RESISTANCE TO COLD. 

A light frost will not injure the Easter lilj^ even when in flower. 
Plants in full flower and full bud have been known to withstand a 
temperature of 28° F. at night with no permanent injury. A tem- 
perature of 26° F., however, killed all the flowers and buds except a 
feAv barel}^ in view and amply protected b}' the surrounding leaves. 
On the Gulf coast a drop from growing weather to 20° F. is con- 
sidered fatal to i^lants in A'egetative condition. 

Tlie six years' experience of the Bureau of Plant Industry has 
proved that this crop when properly handled is safely hardy in the 
climate of Washington, D. C. Proper handling means simply that 
the plants are set late, so as to insure dormancy during the winter. 
There are no data which enable one to judge just what the limiting 
temperatures are, but it has been amply demonstrated over a period 
of six 3'ears that the strains of the Easter lily worked with are hardy 
in the climate of Washington, where the normal minimum is 10° F. 
and the temperature commonly goes to zero at some time during the 
winter. 



WASHINGTON" : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1021 



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